Escort 9500ix worth it?

[Myfast70]

Just as the title says? Is it worth the investment? I'm kicking around the thought of getting it with the blendmount for a clean install. I'm just not sure this is one of those items that justifies the price? How many out there have this unit? Has it really saved you ass? And is it worth the almost $600 tag with mount?

 

[reason4treason]

never had any others, so i've got nothing else to compare it to. i'm happy with it.

i don't rip-ass through traffic in a dangerous way, but i am sometimes over the limit on the freeway. i think i'm a pretty safe driver and would not want to be doing something too risky regarding the likelihood of a collision with another vehicle, a pedestrian, or an animal, even if i was on the autobahn. speeding tickets have gotten expensive as hell.

in Cali, over 100 is called 'excessive speed' and is at the discretion of the officer to put the cuffs on you and take you in for "reckless." going to have to be extra mindful with the GT500 because it seems it can so easily pick up speed before you know it. no way in hell i'm gonna try to evade.

the price of the Passport 9500ix (same as Escort) is worth it to me. have suction cup attachment now but will upgrade to something similar to what you speak of when i get my GT500. i'm hardwired, and also have the mute button which has a small flashing yellow because my music is almost always so loud i sometimes don't hear the warning.

have had some weird stuff happen with 'laser alert' though. for example, had it going off like holy hell for a 20 mile deserted stretch near China Lake Naval Air Station in Cali and there was no Po-Po seen...even stopped the car to see if there was a plane overhead but there was not. Ka band is mostly what i rely on for everyday, ordinary on-guard. never have had laser alert sound-off and then see a LEO.

Passport 9500ix alerts for speed traps, but i've never seen any LEO when it alerts for that. don't know how it is for stoplight camera locations 'cause there are none within 40 miles of me that i know of.

i think i remember reading something about it alerting 14 miles in advance in some testing situations. if on a straight, and it's flat, it does alert for probably 1 mile at most that i've seen. it is possible though to roll right up on a LEO and not see them if he/she is tucked off to the side behind some knoll...not failsafe, but what is?

 

[Irish32]

I've currently own the 9500xi in my Infiniti and have owned Valentine Ones in the past. Escort makes a really good product and the only advantage V1 offers, in my opinion, is the bogey count and the arrows. Radar Roy has done lots of real world tests of the two and it seemed like a toss-up to me in terms of a performance.

If you've want to spend a little more, opt for an installled Escort 9500ci. I had one in my 2010 and just bought one on eBay ($1K vs $1600 retail) my 2013 when it arrives hopefully in two weeks.

Both the 9500xi and ci are Well worth the money. I have several pics of the install, if interested.

Owning a good detector is absolutely critical in these cars. You can be going 80 in 3rd and not realize it. The detector helps increase you awareness.

 

[topless10th]

I have a 8500 and a redline, and as badass as the 8500 is, the redline is better. Range of detection is rediculous. I love my blend mount also

 

[rford13]

I have the Passport Redline and for long distance radar detection you can't beat it. To me it's just another way to be more aware of my surroundings even when I'm not doing anything stupid. I've had instances where I'm somewhere and think "hmmm this is a nice stretch of road, maybe I'll just do a quick pull" and before I commit the detector goes off. So for me it's well worth the money.

 

[Myfast70]

R4T, thanks for the info. I'm in the same boat as you as far as license needs to be clean for my job.

Irish32, I would love to see pics of your install. I have seriously thought about about spending the extra $ for the ci but wasn't really sure how to go about a rather hidden install on the 2013. I really don't want to put anything in the grill area if it could be avoided. I have thought about mounting it further back in the grill but not really sure what the recommended installation should be like.

10th, you compare the redline to the 8500, how does it do against the 9500xi? Any chance that you know how it compares the the 9500 ci? I'm looking for this detector more for the open road than the intown stuff as I usually know where most of the "hot spots" are, photo vans and all of the red light cameras.

As easy as this car gets up to and over the speed limit on the freeway I should probably look for something more geared towards that.

Thanks for all of the replies!!

 

[charba951]

I have the V1, and it has paid for it self already lol. Highly recommend it.

 

[farmboy90]

I have the Escort 9500ix and the Roguemount with the wire to tap power from the mirror. Looks clean, and the radar detection is incredible. LOVE it and highly recommend it.

My favorite part of it is the GPS. I "learns" false signals over time so it gets smarter the more you use it.

 

[Myfast70]

I think I will just save the extra dough and stick with the 9500xi. A lot of people have great reviews on it.

Farmboy, do you have the Escort with LIVE? I thought about adding for the extra $40 but not sure what the monthly cost is after the 12 free mo.

 

[Dadz500]

My vote, YES! I have the CI in a couple of cars and the xi in a couple. They work great, the GPS feature to block out the false alarms is fantastic and the range is great. They false less then any other detector I have ever used and WAY less then the Valentine One. I tried the Valentines twice since so many people swear by them, I ended up giving them both away both times. I think the Blendmount is a must have if you are not using a xi.

Here are some photos of my most recent install on the ci:

Hard to see but I flush mounted the rear sensor instead of bolting it to the license plate like instructed.

 

[Fordx4]

I have a 9500 and I would not trade it for another.

 

[GTtoSVT]

I am very happpy with my 9500i as well

 

[blair223]

Myfast70, here's some info on my install you PM'd me for. I like the flush mount stuff Dadz500 did. May have to do some improvements once I finish upgrading my workshop.


I installed the 9500ci in my 2013 GT500 just after I got it in June. Really like having it built in. Has great range and lots of cool features. Sometimes get false detects on the laser shifters. In one case I think it was a the high end luxury car behind me that probably had parking assist or some other light based distance sensor. Have also had it false with the sun directly ahead or behind and low on the horizon. Does not happen often so overall very happy with it.

I mounted the front laser shifters on the grill opening. The built in clamps worked perfectly. No drilling. The radar sensor did require holes to be drilled in the sheet meta in front of the radiator but it hidden with the radiator cover. I ran all the wires for the front sensors along the driver side and through an unused rubber plug on the firewall. Super easy to reach. I located the main processor box along the driver side to the left of the pedals. Plenty of room for extra cables which is handy since everything gets connected to that box. I was able to run all cables without removing any trim. just stuffed the wire underneath. The only wire I had trouble with was the dash display. Could not stuff it in the crack between the dashboard face and top piece. When I went in to the dealer for my first oil change I asked for a quote to have them route it for me and they just did it for free during the oil change.

A few photos of the install. Did not have time to clean off the bugs so please excuse the mess.

The parts:

Radiator cover off for drilling radar sensor mounting holes. I ran all wires along the hood release cable to the firewall

Front sensor mounting

Firewall hole behind drive side shock tower

Rear laser shifter. Had to drill a hole here too. Drilled right through license plate and used supplied grommet.

Ran that wire into the trunk through a plug in the bottom of the trunk and then along the drive side trim a the bottom of the door.

GPS antenna I mounted behind the rear seats on the rear deck. Just poked a hole through the fiber board and used velcro to hold down the antenna

Control and Display modules mounted here: